Burned

Chapter 12

"Novalie, is that you?"

"Shit!" I didn't want anyone to see me, but it's ruined. I turn around and come face to face with the one I wanted to avoid.

"Mr. Tates", I began with a tight smile on my lips.
I don't know how to behave in his presence. I am intimidated by him.

He exudes a natural presence and authority that no one could question. I try to hide my cleavage by crossing my arms over my chest.

"Call me Asher," he said with a charming smile.

I feel caught off guard. I didn't believe he could smile under his haughty and authoritarian appearance.

"Asher... well, then. You seem to be having a good evening", I called to him, pointing with my chin to the far corner of the room.

"Now that I see you here, I can honestly say that I'm having a good evening."

His amber eyes devour mine like the eyes of a wolf on its prey. I can see on his face that he is more relaxed than when we first met. He seems in his element around all these people.

His smile brightens his face in contrast to his hard and cold appearance. I don't know if it's the alcohol or the fact that I'm single, but there's something very attractive about him.

Is it his dark side or the fact that he is inaccessible, that attracts me the most? I don't know what to say to him, even though he is very attractive, because he is an important client of the company.

"Would you like a drink?" He continues, taking my hand and leading me towards the group of people without asking for permission.

Oddly, I let him guide me to where he was a few moments earlier. Seeing us arrive, the group immediately moved away from us. Not petty, but rather as a sign of respect.

These people stay close and gravitate around Asher. They stare at me shamelessly. I do not let them intimidate me, and I move forward alongside him.

He bends over to the bottle in the ice bucket on the coffee table and pours me a glass. He picks up his glass and clings it against mine.

"To the mysteries of science and to our collaboration."

"To our collaboration", I say quietly while bringing to my lips the cup he has just handed me.

After taking a sip, I put my glass down, because I don't like champagne. I prefer stronger drinks. He sits down and I imitate him. After a moment of awkward silence, I ask him:

"Why me?"

He looks at me with an amused smile.

"I mean, why did you choose me to collaborate with you when you know very well that it's Mark's work?"

He leans back against the backrest to get into a more comfortable position.

"As I told you earlier, I want to work with you and no one else. You are the best in your field, and I only work with the best", He said, looking at me.

He looks at me eagerly as if I were an extremely rare acquisition. He takes between his fingers a pendant attached to a chain around his neck, then he takes another sip of champagne. I imitate him to hide my embarrassment. Seeing that I am uncomfortable with his words, he continues:

"Let's stop talking about work and talk about you, Novalie," he said in a deep, authoritative voice.

This is how the rest of the evening continued. Discussing everything and nothing with this mysterious and terribly attractive man. I don't know how he managed to break down the distance I maintain between us, but after talking with him, I feel pretty good in his company.

I'm even surprised that he can have a certain sense of humour of his own. I noticed that he moved closer to me as the discussion continued, now leaning his leg against mine. Warmth pierces me where his leg is.

"Novalie, how do you manage to be so attractive?", He said to me, placing his hand on my thigh.

I gaze at him softly, and I see raw desire in his eyes. His dilated pupils highlight the amber of his eyes. I swallow painfully, not knowing how to act on this information.

I look at the hand he has on me and notice that he wears a ring with an orange stone on his right ring finger. The stone shines brightly. It inevitably draws my attention.

The world around me disappears and the stone seems to propagate waves that call to me. The more I look at it, the calmer and more peaceful I feel.

The surrounding noises fade away, leaving me in a state of semi-consciousness. My heart rate slows down and follows the rhythm of the waves coming from this jewel. I feel wonderful and safe as if a veil was covering me.

Asher raises my chin and looks at me eagerly. There is a kind of determination in his eyes that I have never seen before. His mouth seems to emit incomprehensible words, but their sounds reflect a sweet melody to my ears.

He gently strokes my cheek with his hand, then moves closer to me. I let him do it because his touch makes me feel intense desire. I want him to touch me again. Seeing that he doesn't do it, I decide to get closer to him.

My whole being cries out for me to submit to this man in front of me. My desire to touch him becomes irrepressible. I can't stand it anymore. I have to feel his skin against mine at all costs.

My mouth is so close to him that I can feel his warmth on my lips. I burn with desire and my whole body is just asking for release. Just as Asher is about to fulfill my dearest wish, I suddenly feel pulled back.

Someone hugs me protectively. I couldn't tell who this person was, because my eyes were drawn to the liquid amber of Asher's upset eyes. I then feel this same person throwing me over his shoulder.

I don't know what I'm feeling right now. A mixture of anger, desire, loss and abandonment. My whole body hurts because it needs to free itself from this burning desire and these contradictory emotions.

I feel that the person holding me is quickly moving. The further away from Asher I get, the harder it is for me to breathe. When I try to breathe, I feel like my lungs are on fire from the inside.

I feel my body becoming incandescent, and a feeling of rage invades me. A primal instinct pushes me to suppress my emotions as best as I can, just before a gust of cold air finally reaches my burning face.

I try to free myself from my captor's grip, but I feel his strong hand tighten on my thighs.

"Nova, calm down! It's okay", says the person holding me, caressing my bare skin tenderly.
I cannot understand what he is saying, but the sensation of his hands on my skin calms the fire that threatens to consume me.

After several minutes of fighting against my emotions, I close my eyes and take three deep breaths. The rage slowly fades and my mind returns to reality. I see that I am always upside down on someone's broad shoulders.

I don't know where I am, but I do know that I'm no longer near the bar. The dark streets are deserted, and no one is around us. The sound of this stranger's footsteps begin to emerge in my ears, and I can finally distinguish the sound of passing cars.

I continue to breathe, and my sense of smell returns. Then I smelled a smell that I will never forget. A smell that I could recognize among thousands. It's the most tantalizing smell I have ever smelled.

"Knox, drop me off now!", I said to him, completely regaining possession of my body and my mind.